One Step Closer

The viewers waited to see what would happen next.

They were all eager.

Some took the chance to grab more snacks, while others got comfortable in bed, setting up their screens to start recording.

[Yo, yo, IT'S STARTING!]

[He's really gonna go through with it? Crazy!]

[WTF I checked the news guys, this sh#t definitely isn't scripted! It's 100% real!]

[Fr? Damn, this might be my next favorite content!]

Scott crouched by the side of the building and stayed low to avoid the flashing police lights bouncing off the windows. His cloak flickered as it activated Shadow Stealth Mode, making him blend smoothly into the shadows.

He took quick, steady breaths as he moved through the maze of squad cars, slipping by without the officers noticing as they got ready to raid the corporate building.

[Sheesh, ( '◇') nice movement there!]

[Jeez, glazing this early is crazy work]

[Bruh, that's not even glazing…]

[Fr, stfu dawg]

Inside, the robbers were still busy, laughing as they shoved more high-tech gadgets into the glowing spatial container floating in the middle of the room.

Scott could clearly hear them from where he crouched by the side entrance.

His pulse raced as he slid his Gadget Glove over the keypad, hands trembling a bit as he tapped into the low-level security system.

It wasn't exactly a weak system, but the robbers before him had already wrecked the main defenses, making it easier to break through now.

… CLICK!

The door slid open with a faint hiss.

Scott exhaled slowly then slipped inside.

『Alright, Scott… just like in Budo Club. Stay focused.』

The hallway ahead was poorly lit.

But, Scott didn't need much light. The System had given him the building's exact layout, so he knew the blind spots and exactly where the robbers were.

Still, his heart pounded in his chest, and his nerves were on edge. He could almost feel the thousands of people watching his every move through the live stream.

The chat was going wild:

[Yo, did he just hack that door?? Bro might actually know what he's doing.]

[Nahhh, this is wild!]

[This guy is some weird mix of cringe and badass. But as usual we're here for it.]

Scott grinned beneath his mask but didn't respond.

He couldn't afford to lose focus now.

He moved quietly down the corridor, almost like a shadow.

The only sound was the soft buzz of his stun batons.

When he got close to the big room where the robbers were hanging out, he crouched behind a pillar. He peeked around the corner to check out what was going on inside.

There were five robbers, all dressed in sleek black armor that crackled with energy. Their shiny metallic visors caught the dim light, and Scott noticed the pulse weapons strapped to their sides. These weren't your average criminals… they had some serious technology.

He gulped nervously.

This was going to be harder than he had expected.

But there was no backing out now.

『Alright… time to do something big.』

Scott checked the chat briefly.

The comments were still pouring in:

[I bet he's pissing his pants behind that pillar.]

[When's the action gonna start?? We want fights, not stealth missions.]

[Yo, I just donated $5. Let's see him fail in style.]

[Hrmm, in that case… I just donated $30]

[Err, I donated $50. I still think he should turn back now, he's already given me enough entertainment. Like fr, the bills can't be that high…]

Ignoring the negativity, he gripped his stun batons tightly.

The door to the main room was slightly ajar, and through it, he could hear the robbers still joking amongst themselves.

One of them was a tall man with cybernetic implants running down his neck.

He waved a hand toward the glowing spatial container.

"I'm tellin' ya, this is too easy. The boss is a genius."

Another, shorter with a raspy voice, chuckled.

"Yeah? And we still got no fuckin' getaway car! You gonna fly us out of here with your shiny new legs?"

Scott couldn't help but smirk.

『They really don't have a plan? Perfect.』

Without wasting any time, Scott activated his Invisibility Band, making his body disappear as he entered the room.

The robbers were too busy arguing to notice him.

He moved fast and quietly to get behind the smallest guy in the group. With a quick flick of his wrist, Scott extended his baton, which lit up with a soft blue crackle.

… Brzzzt!

He swung it down hard.

… KRAAAAK!

It hit the back of the robber's knee.

"Gah! What the hell?!"

The robber crumpled to the ground as his legs immediately gave out beneath him.

Before the others could react, Scott turned off his invisibility and lunged forward, jamming his baton into the chest of the next thug. The stun charge zapped on impact and sent the man flying backward with a scream.

For a moment, the room was still.

The remaining robbers stared at Scott in shock.

"Who the hell──!"

One of them started, but Scott cut him off by spinning his second baton and taking a defensive stance.

"I'm the guy who's about to stop your little shopping spree."

The chat erupted:

[HOLY SHIT!! HE JUST TOOK DOWN TWO GUYS!!]

[Yo, he might actually have this!]

[Okay, okay, I'm donating $20. This is getting good.]

[I'll keep it small for now. $10 is enough…]

[☉Ô☉ The guys have to see this one!]

The robbers snapped out of their surprise.

Their faces twisted into snarls.

"Get him!"

The leader shouted as he pulled out a plasma pistol.

Scott's muscles tightened fiercely as the last three robbers charged at him.

He ducked under the first wild swing of a cybernetic fist and quickly jabbed the guy in the ribs. The robber gasped and bent over, just in time for Scott to land a spinning kick to the side of his head, knocking him into the wall.

But there was no time to celebrate.

The leader fired his plasma pistol, and Scott barely managed to dodge the energy blast that whizzed past his ear, heating up the air. He rolled forward to close the gap and swung his baton upward, knocking the pistol out of the man's hand.

"You little──!!"

The leader's cybernetic arm whirred, gears clicking as he powered up a pulse cannon attached to his forearm. It let out a mechanical whine as it charged up, and the barrel began to glow with a dangerous red light.

"Oh, shi──"

Before Scott could react, the pulse cannon fired.

… VWOOOORRM!

The blast hit him square in the chest.

BOOM!

The force of the hit sent Scott flying backward, crashing through the glass window of the building. He soared through the air, twisting around before slamming down onto the roof of a parked car below.

… KRAAAAK!

The metal crumpled under him as he groaned in pain.

Every bone in his body ached.

The chat exploded.

[OMG, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!]

[IS HE DEAD?!]

[CLIP THAT! CLIP THAT!]

[BROOOOOOOO!!!!]

[HOLY SHIT HE GOT YEETED!!!]

[I TOLD YOU HE WAS GONNA EAT IT LMAO!!]

[Yo, I just donated $20, worth every penny!!]

[This man's career is over before it even started.]

[Ding! Donation from User123: $50! You got this, hero!]

[This is the best content ever!]

[Someone call an ambulance for this dude!]

Scott lay on the crushed car, gasping for breath as his chest heaved painfully. His entire body ached, and the edges of his vision were starting to blur.

The system pinged in his ear.

[Mission Grade: C-]

『C-? That's generous…』

Scott pushed himself to sit up.

He groaned as he held onto his ribs.

… WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO!!

Sirens blared in the distance as the police rushed to the building, but Scott knew he couldn't stick around.

『I-, aaarghh… I should leave…』

He activated his grappling hook, and the gauntlet shot out a cable to a nearby rooftop.

With a strained grunt, he pulled himself up and disappeared into the shadows as the police stormed the building.

His phone pinged one last time.

[Viewers: 1,900 | Donations: $520]

Scott chuckled weakly.

Pain shooting through his ribs.

"Arghhh… it fuckin' hurts…"

He limped away from the scene.

The chat continued to blow up behind him.

[So, when's the next stream?!]

[Shit, we don't even know his name!]

[Err, it was alright… this shit probs stunted anyways]

[Wait until you see it on the news tomorrow （ ;¬＿¬)]

[Aight, bet ♪～(￣,￣ )]

Trolls celebrated and supporters sending words of encouragement.

But Scott didn't care.

Despite the pain, the humiliation, and the fact that he'd been blasted through a building… he'd made it.

『One step closer.』